Apparatus for Preserving Cooked Food Palatability

ABSTRACT

An encapsulated environment is an air-circulation-restricted volume, preferably just large enough to hold a single serving of a cooked, protein containing food product. Restricting the air circulation reduces the evaporation of gases and liquids that are normally lost over time. The palatability of a cooked, protein-containing food product is thus maintained by holding the cooked product at a ready-to-eat temperature inside of an encapsulated environment. The encapsulated environment is a compartment configured to hold a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product, the compartment being able to be covered or at least partially closed by its use in combination with a sleeve configured to receive a tray into which the compartment is formed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The content of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 13/326,667 filed on Dec. 15, 2011, and which is entitled, “Apparatus for Preserving Cooked Food Palatability,” is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The content of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 13/326,607 filed on Dec. 15, 2011, and which is entitled, “Method of Extending the Time During Which Pre-Cooked Foods Are Kept Palatable” is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Many fast-food restaurants prepare food items before they are actually ordered and keep them warm until they are ordered by a customer. A pre-cooked, i.e. a pre-prepared, food product can thus be sold and served to the customer in significantly less time than it takes to prepare each food item after it is ordered.

A problem with pre-cooked foods is that they lose their taste or palatability over time. While taste or palatability is subjective, empirical data shows that most people will dislike the taste of a hamburger after it has been “held” or kept in a warming tray for more than about 15 minutes. Fast-food restaurant operators therefore keep pre-cooked foods warm and ready to serve for only a relatively short period of time, typically fifteen to twenty minutes. When that time has elapsed, the pre-cooked food product is disposed of. Extending the holding time of a pre-cooked food product is therefore contrary to the common and accepted practice of fast-food restaurant operators. Nevertheless, a method and apparatus for extending or preserving the palatability of a cooed food product would be an improvement over the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a depiction of a single hamburger;

FIG. 2 shows a double hamburger;

FIG. 3 shows a single serving of barbecue ribs;

FIG. 4 shows an illustration of a chicken sandwich;

FIG. 5 shows a serving of cooked chicken pieces,

FIG. 6 shows a piece of cooked fish;

FIG. 7 shows two single servings of cooked egg;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a tray;

FIG. 9A is a side view of the tray shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 9B is a bottom view of an alternate embodiment of the tray shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a tray configured with compartments, which are sized to provide encapsulated environments to single servings of chicken pieces;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a tray configured with compartments, which are sized to provide encapsulated environments to single servings of chicken pieces used to make chicken sandwiches;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a tray configured with a single compartment sized to provide an encapsulated environment for a piece of cooked fish;

FIG. 13 shows two trays, one stacked directly on top of another.

FIG. 14 shows the two trays of FIG. 13, inside a sleeve;

FIG. 15 is a cross section of the sleeve and trays shown in FIG. 14 and showing one of the trays stacked directly on the other tray;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a sleeve assembly with a tray in each sub-sleeve;

FIG. 17A is a sectional view of the sleeve assembly, taken through section lines 17-17 in FIG. 16;

FIG. 17B is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the sleeve assembly, taken through section lines 17-17 in FIG. 16 and showing sub-sleeves with different heights;

FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B are perspective views of two different types of sub-sleeves comprising the sleeve assembly shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a food holding cabinet holding a sleeve assembly, which holds trays;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a holding cabinet holding a plurality of different sized sleeves and trays;

FIG. 21 is an isolated view of the sleeve and trays shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a tray providing an encapsulated environment; and

FIG. 23 is a cross section of the tray shown in FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the term “encapsulated environment” refers to a device having an enclosed volume sufficient to enclose at least a single portion or single serving of a cooked protein-containing food product that a restaurant or food service would serve as a distinct menu item or as a constituent of a distinct menu item, and including a headspace of a sufficient size and volume to enable the retention of compositions including gases, released from a cooked protein-containing food product over time. Stated another way, an encapsulated environment holds one and only one, single portion/single serving of a cooked protein-containing food product that a restaurant or food service would serve as a distinct menu item or as a constituent of a distinct menu item, and including a headspace of a sufficient size and volume to enable the retention of compositions including gases, released from a single serving of a cooked protein-containing food product over time.

As used herein, the term, “protein-containing food product” means the proteins that are included very lean proteins, lean proteins and medium-fat proteins, as defined by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health or NIH. NIH is of course part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (U.S. Dept. of H.H.S). Definitions fir very lean proteins, lean proteins and medium-fat proteins are also available on line at the URL; http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/fd_exch.htm. Protein-containing food products include foods from animals such as beef, lamb and pork and their by-products as well as poultry and fish. The term, “protein-containing food products” excludes starches, fats, fruits, vegetables and fat-free and very low-fat milk foods as defined by the NHLBI. A “serving size” is considered herein to be measured by weight and is between about four ounces and up to about twelve ounces.

As used herein, the term, “patty” refers to a relatively small, flat cake made of chopped, ground, pressed or otherwise processed food. At least thirty percent of a patty's weight should be from proteins. The proteins can be very lean, lean or medium fat proteins, as they are defined by the NHLBI, or a mixture or combination thereof. A “patty” can thus be a mixture of ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey or fish, with or without fillers. A patty can be generally round or substantially disc-shaped but it can also be substantially rectangular or substantially triangular.

A single hamburger is an example of a menu item offered at many fast food restaurants. As shown in FIG. 1, a single hamburger 100 typically comprises one, cooked patty 102 made around beef, pork, chicken, turkey or other animal protein between the bottom or heel section 104 of a bun and the crown section 106. As a menu item, a single hamburger can also include various condiments and “trimmings” examples of which include cheese 108, lettuce 110, tomato 112, pickles, onion and various condiments and sauces 114.

For even single hamburgers made of only a patty and a bun, the patty 102 itself is actually a component of the sandwich. As used herein, the patty 102 of a single hamburger, is considered to be a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product, of a menu item, the menu item being a single hamburger, regardless of the condiments and trimmings that might or might not accompany the patty 102.

FIG. 2 shows a double hamburger 200, which is another example of a menu item offered at many fast food restaurants. A double hamburger typically comprises two cooked patties 102, 102 stacked one on top of the other, both of which are served between the heel 104 and crown 106 of a bun.

Both patties 102 of a double hamburger 200 are considered herein to be a component or components of menu item, namely a double hamburger 200. The patties 102 of a double hamburger, at least part of which are from animal proteins, are also considered herein to be a single serving of cooked, protein-containing food product of a menu item.

FIG. 3 shows a single serving of barbecue ribs 300, which is another example of a single serving of a menu item, FIG. 4 shows an illustration of a chicken sandwich 400. It is yet another example of a menu item offered at many fast food restaurants. A chicken sandwich comprises one or more pieces of cooked chicken 402, i.e., fried, grilled or baked. The cooked chicken is served between two pieces of bread, examples of which include heel 104 and crown portions 106 of a bun, with or without various “trimmings.”

The one or more pieces of cooked chicken that make up a chicken sandwich are actually components of a chicken sandwich. As used herein, however, the one or more pieces of cooked chicken that make up a chicken sandwich are considered to be a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product of a menu, the menu item being the chicken sandwich.

FIG. 5 shows a serving 500 of cooked chicken pieces 502. FIG. 6 shows a piece of cooked fish 600. FIG. 7 show cooked eggs 702. Pieces of chicken 502, fish 600 and eggs 700 are other examples of components of corresponding single servings of menu items. Sausage added to a pizza or served as part of a sandwich is also considered to be a component of a menu item that is also a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product. Pieces of chicken, pieces of cooked fish eggs and sausage are also considered herein to be single servings of cooked, protein-containing food products of corresponding menu items.

The terms, “portion” and “serving” are used interchangeably.

As used herein, the term, “similar” means differing in size or position but not substantially different in shape. Two shapes are similar if one is larger than the other but they are otherwise the same or substantially the same.

The term “shape” refers to the form and/or configuration of a food product. A hamburger patty for example has a shape that is similar to a disc. A strip of bacon has a shape similar to a rectangle.

Shape also refers to the form and/or configuration of an encapsulated environment for a food product. The shape of an encapsulated environment and the volume it encloses relative to the shape of a cooked food product is preferably similar to the shape of the food product so that any excess size of an encapsulated environment, i.e., the volume of the encapsulated environment in excess of the food product volume, can be minimized. For example, if the shape of a cooked food product is a disc and the cooked food product volume is considered to be 100%, the shape and volume of the encapsulated environment needed to enclose the food product is preferably also a disc and needs to be at least 100% of the cooked food product volume but the disc-shaped encapsulated environment can be up to as much as 1000% (10X) the volume of the cooked food product (ten-times its value) for reasons set forth below.

The term, “cooked” means food that has been prepared for eating by means of heat. “Cooked” includes prepared for eating as required by, or as recommended by one or more of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and/or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). By way of example, the USDA on its web site (www.FSIS.USDA.GOV) recommends that ground meat be cooked to an internal temperature of 160° F. The terms, cooked and pre-cooked are used interchangeably. A temperature of at least one-hundred forty degrees CR) is generally considered to be a minimum holding temperature for a cooked food product. Temperatures greater than 212° F. will boil off water in a food product and accelerate degradation.

No known entity specifies or mandates how long a food product can be held at an elevated temperature and remain safe for consumption. A common and established practice of fast-food restaurants and food service institutions, however, is to discard cooked food products after they have been in a holding cabinet for more than fifteen to twenty minutes. Discarding food products is known to be costly nevertheless, extending the holding time of a cooked food product contradicts at least the common and established practice of the fast-food restaurant and food service industries generally.

The term “air tight” means that all or substantially all of the compositions, water, protein degradation products, volatile organic compounds, fats, including gases released from the cooked food product, will remain in an encapsulated environment for at least a non-zero length of time but not necessarily indefinitely.

A characteristic of a semi-airtight enclosure is that it has an interior pressure equal to the surrounding or ambient air pressure. Another characteristic is that there can be air or gas flow through a semi-airtight enclosure. As used herein, the term, “semi-airtight” means that the compositions, water, protein degradation products, fats, including gases released from the cooked food product, will be reduced within the encapsulated environment by some venting or escapement of air or gases from the cooked food product that is held within the encapsulated environment device. There is no pressure difference between the interior of the device and the exterior of the device.

The terms, “palatable” and “palatability” mean the property of being acceptable to the mouth or palate of individuals, especially the palate of an individual for whom a food product was prepared and cooked. Some individuals consider raw fish to be palatable while other individuals to be unpalatable. Palatable and palatability can thus include the perception and evaluation of acceptable food.

The term, “organoleptic” means, pertaining to the sensory properties of a particular food or chemical. Organoleptic quality includes the typical sensory properties of a food: its taste, appearance and color, aroma, size, firmness and sound when consumed.

Prior art food holding pans and the food holding cabinets they work with, such as the pans and food holding cabinets depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,886, U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,173 do not and cannot provide an encapsulated environment. Prior art pans and holding cabinets are too large, i.e., they are able to hold multiple portions of a cooked protein-containing food product. Another reason is that prior art pans and ovens do not limit air flow, i.e., the headspace in the prior art devices is not able to retain compositions that escape from cooked, protein-containing food products.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a tray 800 having two substantially disc-shaped compartments 802 and 804. FIG. 9A is a side view of the tray 800. FIG. 913 is a view of the bottom of the tray 800.

The tray 800 is configured to provide an encapsulated environment for at least one patty placed in a compartment, albeit when the compartments 802, 804 are covered or when the tray 800 is placed inside a mating sleeve, not shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9A or 913, which covers the open top surface 806 of the tray 800 and the compartments 802, 804 as well.

The tray 800 has a top surface 806, a bottom surface 808, two opposing and parallel sides 810, 812, and two opposing and parallel ends 814, 816. The front end 814 is provided with a tab 811 that provides or acts as a tray handle. The tab or tray handle 811 can be seen to extend laterally and away from the front end 814 of the tray 800 such that when the tray 800 is inserted into a mating sleeve, the tab/handle 811 can be used to pull the tray out of the sleeve.

Each compartment 802, 804 in the tray 800 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A is essentially a disc-shaped depression or void formed into the top surface 806. Each compartment 802, 804 is sized and shaped or “configured,” to hold a single component portion of a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product, preferably also disc-shaped, which a restaurant or food service would serve as a menu item or as a constituent of a menu item.

As FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A are drawn, the compartments 802 and 804 are sized and shaped to receive a single patty 820. The single component portion of a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product is thus preferably disc-shaped.

As stated above, a single patty 820 is an example of a single component of a menu item, such as a hamburger or double hamburger. For claim construction purposes, however, one or more patties that might be fit into a patty-shaped compartment can also be considered to be a single serving of a protein-containing food product menu item, an example of which includes at least a single hamburger.

The compartments 802, 804 are preferably sized to be just large enough to fit a round patty, the size of which (thickness and diameter) is a matter of choice. When the tray 800 is covered, such as by insertion into a mating sleeve, the compartments, with a patty inside them, are large enough to provide a headspace of a size and volume that assists or aids retention of compositions including gases, including liquids lost by evaporation, released from the patty in the compartment, over time, the loss of which degrades flavor.

The shapes of the compartments 802 and 804 are preferably predetermined. “Predetermined” means the shapes of the compartments are determined according to a known-in-advance size and shape of a food product to be kept in the compartment. Compartments for other foods having other shapes would be shaped similar to the shapes of the various other foods. Since the compartments 802, 804 shown in the figures are for patties 820, the compartments are essentially cylindrical or “disc” shaped voids.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a tray 1000 having multiple compartments 1002, each of which has an open top but otherwise sized and shaped to hold a single serving of cooked chicken pieces 500 that are a menu item, a serving 500 of course being a design choice as to the size, weight and number of chicken pieces that constitute the single serving.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a tray 1100 having two compartments 1102, each of which has an open top but otherwise sized and shaped to hold a single serving of a cooked chicken piece, such as the chicken piece 402 shown in FIG. 4, which is for a single chicken sandwich, such as the chicken sandwich 400 shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a tray 1200 having one compartment 1202, which has an open top but otherwise sized and shaped to hold a single serving of a menu item that is cooked fish 600.

A “serving” can be determined by weight or volume. However a serving is determined, the volume of an encapsulating environment compartment is preferably sized and/or shaped to be able to hold only one serving with a head space preferably minimized at about one hundred ten percent but up to about ten times the volume occupied by a single serving.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the tray 800 and compartments 802, 804 depicted therein are illustrative of requirements of trays and compartments, such as those shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, that are sized and shaped to provide encapsulated environments for other types of single servings of cooked, protein-containing foods, which comprise components of other menu items.

In FIG. 8, each compartment 802, 804, has a diameter 818 that is preferably just slightly larger than the diameter 817 of a round or substantially disc-shaped patty 820 to be held therein. Each compartment 802, 804 has a substantially vertical sidewall 822, which extends between the bottom 824 of a compartment to the top surface 806 of the tray 800. As best seen in FIG. 9A, the height 825 of the sidewall 822 is just slightly greater than the thickness of the patty 820. The bottom surfaces 813 of the sides 810, 812, best seen in FIG. 9A provide surfaces on which the tray 800 can be slid into and out of a mating sleeve. The sides 810, 812 of the tray can thus be considered as rails.

The bottom 813 of the tray 800 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A acquires a shape during a molding process such that the bottom 813 is essentially a mirror image of the top 806. In an alternate embodiment, however, which is depicted in FIG. 9B, the bottom surface 813 of the tray 800 is formed to be flat and substantially planar.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, forming the bottom 813 of a tray 800 to be flat and planar as shown in FIG. 9B allows the bottom 813 of a first tray 800-1 to act as a cover for the open compartments 802, 804 formed in the top 806 of a second tray 800-2. When such trays are stacked as shown in FIG. 13, i.e., with the flat bottom 813 of one tray 802-1 covering the top 806 of another tray 802-2 as shown in FIG. 13, the flat bottom 813 of the first tray 800-1 enables the compartments 802, 804 formed into the top 806 of the lower tray 802-2 to become encapsulated environments for foods contained in the covered compartments. Stated another way, a stacked assembly of trays can form an encapsulated environment, at least for compartments of one tray that are covered by another tray.

FIG. 14 shows the two stacked trays shown in FIG. 13 inserted into a sleeve 1400, which is sized and shaped to allow the free insertion and removal of two stacked trays, 800-1 and 800-2. The sleeve 1400 provides a cover for the open compartments 802, 804 of the top tray 802-1 permitting them to provide encapsulated environments for foods kept therein. FIG. 15 shows the trays 800-1, 800-2 and sleeve 1400 of FIG. 14 through section lines 15-15.

FIG. 15 shows a relatively small air gap 1500 between the left sides 810-1, 810-2 and right sides 812-1, 812-2 of the trays 800-1, 800-2 and the sidewalls 1404 of the sleeve. An air gap 1500 also exists between the top 806 of the top tray 802-1 and the top 1406 of the sleeve. Nevertheless, the total volume of the air gap 1500 around the sides and top is small enough to allow the compartments 802-1 and 804-1 in the top tray 800-1 to become encapsulated environments, which significantly extend the holding time of foods place into the compartments.

Referring again to FIGS. 8 and 9A, the patty-shaped compartments 802, 804 are preferably sized and shaped according to specific requirements of a restaurant owner or food service operator. If the compartments 802, 804 are sized to be much greater than the overall size of cooked, patty-shaped food to be held therein, the compartments 802, 804, when covered, will not provide a limited headspace necessary to form an encapsulated environment. If the compartments 802, 804 are sized to be smaller than a patty-shaped food to be held therein, the compartments won't be able to receive a patty without damaging it but such an undersized compartment would be able to act as an encapsulated environment for the portion of the patty-shaped food forced therein. Stated another way, a compartments in a tray that is to provide an encapsulated environment for a patty, is sized by diameter and depth in order to provide a relatively close fit to a patty 820 offered by a particular restaurant or food service without having to compress or distort a patty-shaped food product therein. Compartments such as those shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, are sized and shaped to be similar to the single servings of cooked, protein-containing foods for which an encapsulated environment is desired.

The tray 800 for a patty is preferably but optionally provided with patty removal-enabling channels 828 formed into the top surface 806 and through the sidewall 822. The channels 828 are either notches or ramps that enable a patty 820 in a compartment 802, 804 to be grasped from the bottom and lifted out from the close-fitting compartment without damaging the patty 820 by prying it out of the compartment or without having to flip the tray 800 over.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a sleeve assembly 1600. FIG. 17A is a sectional view taken through section lines 17-17 in FIG. 16.

The sleeve assembly 1600 as shown in FIG. 17A actually comprises three individual sleeves 1602, 1604 and 1606, which are also referred to herein as sub-sleeves, best seen in FIGS. 18A and 18B. As with the assemblies shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the sleeves shown in FIGS. 16 and 17A are sized and shaped for placement into a conventional food holding cabinet, such as the one shown in FIG. 19, and to thereby transfer heat between the food holding cabinet and a food product inside a compartment 802, 804. The sub-sleeves are thus preferably made of a metal, such as aluminum, because metal conducts heat between than other materials, such as glass, ceramic, paper and plastic.

Each sub-sleeve 1602, 1604, 1606 is sized and shaped to receive or hold one tray 800 and thus provide an encapsulated environment to a cooked, protein-containing food product, such as a patty 820, when a food product is inside a compartment and the tray 800 is inserted into a sub-sleeve, at least far enough to have the compartment holding the food product covered or enclosed within a sub-sleeve 1602, 1604, 1606. The sub sleeves 1602, 1604, 1606 and tray 800 are thus considered to be mating.

The sub-sleeves 1602, 1604, 1606 have a shape that is substantially a parallelepiped. Each sub-sleeve has a planar and horizontal top panel 1609 having first and second planar opposing surfaces 1610, 1612. Each sleeve also has two substantially vertical, substantially parallel, substantially planar side walls 1613, 1615. Each sub-sleeve has a substantially planar bottom panel 1617, which is substantially parallel to the top panel 1609 of each sub-sleeve top 1609. The top 1609 and the bottom 1617 of each sub-sleeve is separated by a distance, which defines an inside height 1620 of the sleeve 1602, 1604, 1606. The inside height of the sub-sleeves need not be identical or even similar but can instead be varied in order to have an assembly of sub-sleeves that can provide encapsulated environments for single servings of different cooked, protein-containing foods.

FIG. 17B is a cross sectional view of three sub-sleeves 1702, 1704, 1706 stacked on top of each other. Unlike the subsleeves shown in FIG. 16, the sub-sleeves shown in FIG. 17B have different inside heights. Each sub-sleeve in FIG. 17B has a bottom panel 1617 and a top panel 1609. The top panel 1609 has a top surface 1610 and a bottom surface 1612.

The bottom sub-sleeve 1702 is sized to be large enough, i.e., to have an inside height 1708 and a width 1710, large enough to able to receive a tray for single servings of foods that are large, i.e., a menu item that is large, an example of which is a single serving of ribs, such as those shown in FIG. 3. The middle sub-sleeve 1704 is sized to be able to receive trays for chicken or chicken pieces, such as the trays shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The top sub-sleeve 1712 is sized to receive a single tray 800 for patties. The bottom sub-sleeve 1702, however, can also receive trays that will fit into either the middle sub-sleeve 1704 or the top sub-sleeve 1706. The vertical inside height of stacked trays thus does not need be the same across sub-sleeves but can vary according the height of a tray that a sub-sleeve needs to accommodate.

Referring again to FIG. 17A, each sleeve 1602, 1604, 1606 has a length 1614, best seen in FIGS. 18A and 18B. The length 1614 can be less than, equal to or slightly larger than the length of the sides 810, 812 of the tray 800. Each sub-sleeve has an internal or “inside” width 1616 slightly greater than the width of the tray 800 in order to allow the tray 800 to freely slide into and out of the sub-sleeves. Finally, each sub-sleeve also has an internal height 1620 selected to be slightly greater than the height 825 of the sidewall 822 of the tray 800 in order for the compartments 802, 804 formed into the tray 800 to be able to receive the entire volume of a patty-shaped food product.

When a food product, such as a patty 820 is placed into a compartment 802, 804, it is preferred that the food product 820 in the compartment 802, 804 not contact the inside surface 1612 of the top panel 1609. The height 1620 of the sub-sleeves needs to be selected to enable the sub-sleeve to receive a tray 800 having a compartment 802, 804 that is deep enough to receive the entire food product 820 without any portion of the food product extending over the top surface 806 of the tray. A compartment for ribs or multiple pieces of chicken will thus be deeper that a compartment for a patty or an egg, such as the ones shown in FIG. 7.

The sidewall height 825 of the tray 800 thus effectively determines the maximum depth of a compartment and the height or thickness of a single serving of a food product that can be kept therein. The internal height 1620 of the sleeves 1602, 1604, 1606 thus effectively dictates the tray's sidewall height.

In preferred embodiments, the internal height of a sub-sleeve, examples of which include the sub-sleeves 1602, 1604 and 1606, in combination of the sidewall height of a tray are selected to provide a “zero clearance” between them. As used herein, a “zero clearance” exists when the difference between the sidewall height of a tray and the internal height of a sleeve is one-quarter of an inch or less. By way of example, if the tray sidewall height 825 is selected to be one-half inch (0.50 inch) so as to provide a compartment 802, 804 able to receive a patty 820 having a nominal thickness of about seven-sixteenths inch, (i.e., 0.43 inches), a “mating” sleeve should have an internal height 1620 of no more than three-quarters of an inch (i.e., between 0.75 inches and 0.5 inches) in order for them to have a zero clearance fit.

Those of ordinary skill in the art should of course recognize that the nominal internal height 1620 of a sub-sleeve 1602, 1604, 1606 needs to be slightly larger than the nominal sidewall height 825 of a tray 800 in order to allow the tray to be freely slid into and out of a sub-sleeve. It is preferred that a sleeve/sub-sleeve have a nominal internal height 1620 selected to be at least one-sixteenth of an inch larger, i.e., 0.0625 inches, than the sidewall height of a tray 800 to be placed therein.

A sleeve assembly, i.e., one or more sub-sleeves and mating trays, is sized and shaped to be able to be placed into a food holding cabinet and facilitates heat exchange between the food holding cabinet and food products held inside a compartment. One example of a compatible food holding cabinets is the Model 541-446 Food Holding Bin shown in FIG. 19. It is available from Prince Castle, LLC., 355 East Kehoc Boulevard in Carol Stream, Ill.

A food holding cabinet 1900 such as the Model 541-446 has heated shelves 1902, which are also sometimes referred to as heated compartments. The terms, “shelf” and “compartment” are thus used interchangeably. (See FIG. 6.)

The shelves 1902 have nominal inside height dimension 1906 selected to allow large, multi-serving food holding pans (not shown) to be placed therein. The height dimension 1906 also allows one or more stacked trays, such as the stacked trays shown in FIG. 13, to be placed therein. The height dimension of a compartment can also allow be selected to allow a sleeve as shown in any one or more of FIGS. 14, 16, 17A and 17B, to be placed therein.

When trays 800 are stacked inside a sleeve or sub-sleeve, it is important that the trays 800 be able to slide into and out of the sub-sleeves that comprise a sleeve assembly. It is thus important for a sleeve assembly to be held in inside a compartment 1902 of a food holding cabinet 1900.

FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B are perspective views of two sleeves 1802, 1804 that are stackable. The sleeves can be placed on top of the other such that, when they are so stacked, they are horizontally latched to each other. Their height dimensions 1620 are shown as being equal, which is not necessary, but nevertheless selected such that when placed on top of each other and placed into a food holding cabinet shelf 1902, their combined height is just less than the height 1906 of the compartment 1902.

A first type of sub-sleeve 1802, depicted in FIG. 18A, is configured to be placed on top of and thereby latched to another, identical sub-sleeve 1802. The first sub-sleeve type 1802 can also be configured, however, to be placed on top of and latched to a second type of sleeve 1804 depicted in FIG. 18B.

Both types of sleeves 1802, 1804 are essentially hollow or empty parallelepipeds, with sidewalls 1613, 1615 provided with U-shaped slots 1806 that extend downwardly from the top panel 1609 of the sub-sleeve and located near the rectangular-shaped front opening 1808 and rectangular shaped rear opening 1810 of the sleeves 1802, 1804. The sidewalls 1613, 1615 of first type sleeves 1802 are also provided slot-engaging tabs 1812 that extend downwardly front the bottom 1617 of the sleeve. When two or more, first type of sleeves 1802 are placed on top of each other, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 19, the tabs 1812 that extend down from sidewalls 1613, 1615 of a first-type sleeve 1802 engage complementary mating slots 1806.

The second-type sleeve 1804, which is shown in FIG. 18B, is configured to be placed into a compartment 1902 of a food holding cabinet 1900 and to engage the food holding cabinet 1900 shelf 1902. The second-type sleeve is also configured to mate to a first-type sleeve 1802 shown in FIG. 18A.

The second-type sleeve 1804 is provided with compartment-engaging clips 1814 and 1816 that extend downwardly from the bottom of the second type sleeve 1804 near the front opening 1808 and rear opening 1810. The clips keep the second-type sleeve 1804, and any first type sleeves 1802 attached to it, from sliding out of a shelf of a food holding cabinet,

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a food holding cabinet 1900 available from Prince Castle, 355 East Kehoe Boulevard in Carol Stream, Ill. As stated above, an encapsulated environment extends the palatability of cooked, protein-containing food products for much longer periods of time than would be possible keeping the same products in large, multi-serving pans. A food holding cabinet, such as the cabinet 1900 shown in FIG. 19, is able to keep the temperature of food products inside an encapsulated environment at a safe, ready-to-eat temperature, e.g., above at least one hundred forty degrees and preferably above one hundred sixty degrees F.

A front clip 1814 on the bottom sleeve extends down and over the front edge 1907 of the shelf 1902. A rear dip 1816, best seen in FIG. 18B but not visible in FIG. 19, is able to extend over the back edge of the shelf 1002. The two clips thus hold the sleeve assembly in place, inside the compartment 1902, preventing the sleeve assembly from sliding in the cabinet 1900 when one or more of the trays 800A, 800B, 800C, is placed into or removed from a corresponding sleeve 1602, 1604, 1606, as will happen when a food product is placed into or removed from a compartment.

The trays depicted in FIG. 19 are shown as having essentially the same handles 811A, 811B and 811C but located at different horizontal locations along the front end 810 of the corresponding trays 800A, 800B and 800C. The handle 811A of the top-most tray 800A is shown as being located to the extreme left side of the tray 800A. The handle 811C of the bottom-most tray 800C is also located to the extreme left side of the tray 800C. The handle 811B of the middle tray 800B, however, is located at the extreme right side of the middle tray 800B. By shifting the location of the handles 811A, 811B and 811C so that they are horizontally displaced relative to each other, handles of stacked trays and the handles of trays in sub-sleeves, are easier to grasp than they would be if the handles of such trays were all located directly above and directly below each other.

FIG. 20 is a front elevation of a conventional holding cabinet 2000 having two heated compartments 2002 and 2004. FIG. 20 shows how various differently-sized trays can be used with or without mating sleeves to keep cooked, protein-containing foods palatable for longer than would be possible using the large, open top trays commonly used in prior art food holding cabinets.

The top compartment 2002 holds a large sleeve 2006, which mates with a large tray 2008 having a single, large compartment 2009. The sleeve/tray/compartment combination is sized and shaped to provide an encapsulated environment to relatively large, single servings of a menu item, such as the ribs shown in FIG. 3.

The top compartment 2002 also holds a set 2010 of stacked sub-sleeves 2012. Each sub-sleeve 2012 holds a mating tray 2014, i.e., a tray that is sized and shaped such that when it is placed inside one of the sub-sleeves 2012, the compartments 2016 in the tray are essentially covered, i.e., covered with a head space small enough to form an encapsulated environment for any food product that happens to be in the compartment 2016.

The bottom compartment 2004 holds a relatively wide sleeve 2018, i.e., wide enough to receive two trays 2020 and 2024 side-by-side. The left-side tray 2020 is sized and shaped to have two, side-by-side compartments 2022. The right-side tray 2022 is sized and shaped to have a bowl-shaped compartment 2026. When the trays 2020 and 2024 are placed into the sleeve 2018, the compartments form encapsulated environments for the single servings of cooked, protein-containing food products they hold.

The bottom compartment 2004 also holds two trays 2028 and 2030 stacked on top of each other. In such a configuration, a compartment in the lower tray 2028 forms an encapsulated environment by the placement of the upper tray 2030 on top of it.

Finally, FIG. 20 shows in the lower compartment 2004, a single sleeve 2032, which is sized and shaped to “mate” with three trays 2034, 2036 and 2038, each tray having different a vertical height and a smooth bottom, as shown in FIG. 9B. Regardless of which tray 2034, 2036 and 2038 is on top, at the bottom or in the middle, when all the trays are in the sleeve 2032, the compartments in each of them form encapsulated environments,

FIG. 21 is an isolated view of the sleeve and tray shown in FIG. 19. Among other things, FIG. 21 shows how compartment-engaging clips 1814 hold the sleeve in the shelf.

Finally, FIGS. 22 and 23 shown an alternate embodiment of a food holding tray 2200, which provides an encapsulated environment 2202 for a disc-shaped patty 2204.

A substantially rectangular base 2208 is formed to have a disc-shaped depression 2210. A mating rectangular cover 2212 is provided with a disc-shaped protrusion 2214, which aligns with the disc-shaped depression 2210. The disc-shaped depression 2210 and the disc-shaped protrusion provide a disc-shaped space 2212 formed by bring the base 2208 and cover 221 together and which acts as an encapsulated environment, as long as the base and cover are together.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that an encapsulated environment can take many forms, the salient aspect being that it provides a very limited head space for a single serving of a cooked, protein containing food product, a single serving being a menu item.

The foregoing description is for purposes of illustration. The true scope of the invention is set forth in the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for preserving palatability of a cooked food product comprised of a plurality of food components, the apparatus comprising: a tray comprised of a compartment configured to hold a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product, the tray being configured to be able to form an encapsulated environment for the single component of an individual serving.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single serving is a cooked, protein-containing food product having a weight between about four ounces and about twelve ounces.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tray is comprised of a plurality of compartments and wherein at least one compartment is comprised of a depression formed in a top surface of the tray.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one compartment is a disc-shapeed void extending downwardly from a substantially planar top surface of the tray, the disc-shaped void having a bottom and being configured to receive one substantially disc-shaped patty therein, the disc-shaped void defining a substantially vertical side wall extending upward from the bottom of the disc-shaped void to the top surface of the tray.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the bottom is substantially planar.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising at least one channel through the vertical side wall and extending away from the disc-shaped void.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tray handle extending laterally from an edge of the tray.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising rails, the side rails comprising surfaces on which the tray can slide into and out of a mating sleeve.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thermally-conductive sleeve having at least one rectangular-shaped opening configured to receive at least one tray.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sleeve is configured to receive a plurality of trays, a first tray stacked directly on top of a second tray, both trays being fit inside the sleeve.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sleeve is comprised of a plurality of sub-sleeves, each sub-sleeve being substantially parallelepiped-shaped and configured to receive a single tray therein.
 12. An apparatus for preserving palatability of a single or individual serving of cooked, protein-containing food product having a predetermined shape, the apparatus comprising: a sleeve configured to fit inside a compartment of a food holding cabinet, the sleeve comprising an open interior; and a tray comprised of a food holding compartment having a predetermined shape substantially similar to the predetermined shape of the food product, the tray and sleeve being configured to provide an encapsulated environment for a single serving of cooked protein-containing food products held in the compartment.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the food holding compartment is sized and shaped to hold a single component of a menu item.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the tray is comprised of a planar bottom.
 15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the sleeve is comprised of a plurality of stacked sub-sleeves, each sub-sleeve, each sub-sleeve being configured to receive one, correspondingly-sized tray.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the sleeve is configured to receive a plurality of said trays, a first tray being stacked on top of a second tray, the food holding compartments in the first and second trays forming encapsulated environments.
 17. The apparatus of claim 12, where the sleeve further comprises a clip configured to hold the sleeve inside a food holding cabinet when a tray is placed into and removed from a sub-sleeve of the sleeve assembly.
 18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sub-sleeves comprise a planar top panel and first and second planar and opposing side panels and at least one substantially horizontal planar bottom panel extending between the side panels, the side panels of the sleeve having a first height, the tray having a sidewall with a second height, the first height and second height being selected to provide a substantially zero clearance between them.
 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the tray has a food holding compartment having a depth great enough to receive the entire volume of a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product such that a single serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product placed in a compartment will not contact the top panel of the sleeve when the tray is on the shelf and slid into and out of a sub-sleeve comprising the sleeve assembly.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each sub-sleeve is provided with a tray having a handle, wherein handles of the trays are offset laterally relative to each other.
 21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the food holding compartment is a disc-shaped void in a substantially planar top surface of the tray, the disc-shaped void being configured to receive one disc-shaped patty therein.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the disc-shaped void is configured to receive a plurality of disc-shaped patties therein.
 23. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising at least one patty-removal channel through the vertical side wall and extending away from the disc-shaped void.
 24. An apparatus for preserving food palatability comprising: a food holding cabinet; a sleeve assembly inside the food holding cabinet; and a tray inside the sleeve assembly, the tray being comprised of a food holding compartment having a predetermined depth and a predetermined interior shape that is similar to but greater than a single-serving of a cooked, protein-containing food product, the food holding compartment and sleeve forming an encapsulated environment for a single servings of cooked protein-containing food products held in the compartment. 